Louisiana community college launches AI data-center technician program as Meta builds massive Hyperion hub
A new four-week Data Center Technician course at Louisiana Delta Community College is preparing locals for jobs on Meta's 10-million-square-foot Hyperion AI data center in Richland Parish.
Construction of Meta's Hyperion data center in rural Richland Parish has spurred a surge of construction workers and created a pipeline of local talent through a new Data Center Technician program at Louisiana Delta Community College's West Monroe campus. The intensive four-week, $3,700 course teaches everything from safety protocols to fiber-optic splicing, and offers certifications that are transferable beyond Meta projects.
All eleven graduates of the inaugural class secured positions with IES Communications, a contractor on the Hyperion build, and the college now graduates roughly 24 students each month. Students like Eric Crowe Jr. and Trey Wadley see the training as a path to better-paying work, aiming for $25-$30 an hour versus previous earnings of $14 an hour. While the project promises up to 7,500 trade workers during construction and 1,000 permanent jobs, some residents remain wary of environmental impacts, though most trainees view the opportunity as a long-term career stepping stone.
Why it matters
The training program links local workers to high-pay AI data-center jobs, boosting employment in a traditionally low-wage region.
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